Nothing From Nobody
by Ila9182
Summary: "What's going on with the Captain?" Andy asked as he sipped his cranberry juice, leaning against his desk. He watched Sharon walk around the Murder Room, an annoyed expression on her face, as she seemed to be looking for something. AU, before and right after 7x11 "Necessary Evil".


**Hey everyone!**

**This is just a silly idea that came to my mind while listening to Dean Lewis's new album, especially to the song "Hold of Me" (which I used for this fic). This story takes place during The Closer, first part before 7x11 "Necessary Evil" and second part, right after this episode. **

**Special thanks to Catherine who proofread my story so quickly!**

**Again, I don't own the show or its characters.**

* * *

**NOTHING FROM NOBODY**

_So you say to me now_

_"I need nothing from nobody"_

_But I can see it on your face you're hurting_

_Grab a hold of me_

"What's going on with the Captain?" Andy asked as he sipped his cranberry juice, leaning against his desk. He watched Sharon walk around the Murder Room, an annoyed expression on her face, as she seemed to be looking for something.

"You mean the _wicked witch_?" Provenza corrected his partner, emphasizing the nickname they had given to the woman a while ago. "Maybe she lost her broom" he added with a sneer in his voice. He chuckled at his own joke, nearly choking on his drink.

"Provenza" Andy sighed while shaking his head at the older Lieutenant's rudeness.

"What?!" Provenza exclaimed, a shocked expression on his face. He couldn't believe that his partner, the one who drew the _wicked witch _on the white board, the one who confronted the woman every single day, had just scolded him for his joke. "Who cares, Flynn!" he shot back, irritation in his voice. "Drink your stupid healthy juice and shut up. You're ruining a pleasant evening."

Andy rolled his eyes at his partner before going back to follow the woman with his gaze. Sharon was inspecting every corner of the room. The others seemed not to have noticed her fumbling as they were all too busy talking and eating snacks from their Thanksgiving buffet.

Andy glanced at Provenza who then shook his head in disbelief, sighing. "Flynn…" the Lieutenant warned him.

"Oh give me a break, old man" Andy snapped. "Go have another round at the buffet, the turkey is calling out for you." He motioned toward the table full of food that served as their Thanksgiving celebration together before heading back to their respective families.

Provenza groaned as he walked away, leaving his partner alone. Andy stood motionless studying the Captain until he saw her drop her arms to her sides in surrender. She looked down and walked away from the Murder Room. Andy followed her, curiosity getting the better of him. Before she disappeared at the end of the hallway he called out to her, "Captain."

He heard her sigh as she slowly turned around to face him. "Lieutenant Flynn, now is not a good time" Sharon firmly answered while simultaneously crossing her arms over her chest.

"What's going on?" Andy asked, tilting his head and shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants.

"Please," she let out with a snort. "are you here to check if your stupid prank worked?" She shot back, irritation now evident in her voice.

"What are you talking about?" Andy questioned her, shaking his head in disbelief. He was having a hard time in understanding what she was alluding to. "A prank?"

"Oh, cut me some slack," she snapped while glaring at him. "Do you really want me to make more a fool of myself than what I already have? You think I don't know you hid my coat somewhere in the building?!" She spat out angrily. "Let's make the _wicked witch _go back home without a coat in the middle of winter. She'll freeze." Sharon continued on in a mocking tone and gestured with her right hand. "How funny and mature of you, Lieutenant."

"I have nothing to do with this, Captain" Andy replied in a surprisingly calm tone.

"You really think I will believe you?! Lieutenant Flynn who hates me so much has nothing to do with this." She scoffed, waving a hand between them. "Yeah, right."

"You think I have nothing better to do than pull pranks on you?" Andy shot back, slightly raising his voice. He started to lose his temper and he knew he should walk away from her before he could say things he would regret later. He shook his head in resignation and glanced one last time at her before turning his back and walking away.

"I'm sorry, I assumed that you…" Sharon started, biting her lower lip.

Andy stopped in his tracks and faced her before cutting her short, "You assumed wrong."

They exchanged glances for a couple of seconds, silently studying each other until Sharon looked down, sighing, "I've searched for it everywhere."

"What else is missing except your coat?" Andy softly asked as he walked back to her.

"Only my coat" she replied, lifting her head to meet his gaze. "I was planning to go home and went looking for my coat. I only found my bag." She added, gesturing to the handbag on her shoulder. Andy was about to say something when she forestalled him, "Yeah, I've checked. Nothing is missing from my bag."

He nodded and took a look around before offering to her, "Let's search for it together. Two pairs of eyes are better than one" he added with a smile.

"Thank you, Lieutenant, but this is useless. I've looked for it everywhere. I left it in the break room and it isn't there anymore" she explained with a frustrated sigh. "I don't want you to waste time on me, you should go back to the party. I'll head home now."

"Wait, Captain." Andy hand reached for her arm to stop her exit, but before he touched her he froze, his hand hanging in the air between them. He then chose to use it to rub the back of his neck as he reasoned, "You can't possibly leave like this… it's cold outside."

"I'll be mostly in my car and I only have a short walk to my building. I'll survive, Lieutenant." She shrugged. "I just hope my coat will reappear soon. It's a piece of clothing I really like." Sharon sighed as she rummaged in her handbag. She suddenly stilled as a new realization dawned. "Oh God no" she groaned and covered her face with a hand.

"What is it?" Andy tilted his head and frowned.

"When I went back with you all from the crime scene I put my car keys into the pocket of my coat. I told myself I would put them in my bag later and totally forgot about it. The keys were still in my coat pocket when I arrived at the party."

"Oh" Andy let out as he understood her implication. Sharon rubbed her forehead before letting her hand run through her hair with a heavy sigh. He could tell she was upset at herself and her inattention. He cleared his throat before saying, "Wait here, I'll be back in a blink of an eye and I'll drive you home."

"Please, Lieutenant, this is totally unnecessary." Sharon stopped him with a wave of her hand. "I'll call a cab. There is no need for you to leave so soon."

"Wait here, I'll be back." He simply repeated with a grin.

"Lieutenant, I said…"

Sharon didn't have the time to complete her sentence because he was already out of sight. She shook her head at his stubbornness and smirked. He came back after a couple of minutes, his winter coat draped over his left arm. Without a word they reached the elevator and when the doors opened they stepped inside. The ride was silent. Andy studied her and he could suddenly see how tired she looked. He didn't think he had ever seen her this way. Sharon nervously ran a hand through her hair before letting out a sigh and looking down. Andy then told her, "I'm sorry about what happened…"

"You don't have to apologize, Lieutenant. You have nothing to do with this" Sharon paused before adding with a sad smirk, "I know it won't be hard for you to believe it, but this is not the first time something like this has happened to me." She paused and shook her head before continuing,"I'm more used to acts of mischief than kindness, Lieutenant. It apparently comes with my job" she stated simply, not bothering herself to look at him.

"Uhm…" He cleared his throat, lifting his arm where his coat was draped over, "Do you want my coat? It's freezing outside" he offered with a faint smile.

"I need nothing from nobody." She whispered, her tone suddenly defeated and her head still lowered.

Andy frowned and didn't exactly know how to answer back. He took a few seconds to study her and noticed for the first time the hurt on her face. Captain Sharon Raydor, the _Ice Queen_, the _wicked witch _wasn't as insensitive as she appeared to be. Maybe they all went too far with her, mistreating and disrespecting her on a daily basis. Andy started to realize that she was after all human. He recovered from his initial surprise and managed to crack a joke with the hope that it would ease the mood, "Good thing that tonight I'm Mr. Nobody." He draped the coat over her shoulders and he felt her jump slightly at his touch. She slowly lifted her head and met his gaze as he smiled, "You won't do yourself any good if you catch cold." He paused and his smile grew wider as he added, motioning to his coat, "And this is not debatable, Captain."

Sharon simply nodded and thanked him while she adjusted the coat around her body. She didn't feel like arguing. She just wanted to go home. She followed him as they stepped out of the elevator and reached his car. Andy groaned and told her, "Sorry for the mess, Provenza was in my car earlier and he ate his unhealthy snacks during the whole drive." He walked to the passenger side and began picking up the empty coke bottle and the ruffled snacks packaging from the car mat. "Apparently, he thought my car was some huge garbage can" he grumbled as he brushed his hand on the seat to sweep away the crumbs. Andy put the garbage inside a plastic bag and threw it on the backseat before motioning for Sharon to get in, "Please, Captain."

The drive was silent with the exception of the few times Sharon gave Andy directions on how to reach the condo. It wasn't an awkward silence. She was just too tired to even think of something to say, and Andy had been surprisingly respecting her need for silence. Sharon had rested her head against the window, glancing absent-mindedly outside. She had felt from his stare on her every so often as if he was checking to make sure she was okay. She had scoffed at her own ridiculous thought and had briefly closed her eyes while taking a deep breath.

Andy stopped the car in her parking lot upon arrival, which caused Sharon to slightly jump out of her daze. They both stayed in silence for a while longer, neither of them moving. Andy suddenly cleared his throat while thinking about something to say to break the silent moment. Sharon broke his train of thought by making eye contact and expressing her gratitude. "Thank you, Lieutenant. You didn't have to do all this, but I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, Captain" Andy answered with a smile. He noticed that she was about to take off his coat and stopped her with a hand, "Please, keep it to cross the parking lot." As he sensed her objection rising, he offered,"I'll walk you to the door, so you can give it back to me."

Andy was out of the car and jogging to the passenger side before she could argue and opened the door. She got out of the car and they silently walked to her building. When they reached the entrance, Sharon faced him and took off the coat before handing it back to Andy, "Here, Lieutenant. Thank you so much." She offered him a faint smile as she added, echoing his previous words, "You better put it on, it's a cold night. You won't do yourself any good either if you catch cold."

"Yes Ma'am." He grinned as he complied. He adjusted the coat before reassuring her, "I'll make sure to find and bring back your coat, Captain."

"Appreciate it, Lieutenant." She nodded. "Goodnight" she added with a smile before walking to the elevator. She offered him a brief wave of her hand as the doors closed. Andy nodded and shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat before walking back to the car and headed home.

* * *

Sharon sighed as she stopped her car at the umpteenth red traffic light. She wanted to be home already. It had been another exhausting day and she just wanted to chill out on her couch with a glass of wine. Frustration hit her when she recalled the confrontation she just had with Goldman. She finally had the proof that there was a leak in the Major Crimes Division. Sharon would continue her investigation tomorrow now that she was aware of this new element. She sighed. It just felt to her like a never-ending story. Every time she felt she was making a step forward, she ended up taking two back.

Another thing that bugged her was the mystery of her missing coat. While she had found her car keys on her desk the morning after the party, her coat was nowhere to be seen. She was slowly giving up on the idea that she would ever have it back. _Whoever took it must have thrown it in the garbage or burned it_, she thought. Andy had promised he would find it, but she hadn't heard from him since that night four days ago. Maybe he was just messing around with her and enjoying the fact that she had stupidly fallen into his trap. She shook her head, chasing away her thoughts as she finally arrived to her condo. She parked her car and got out. She swung gracefully her handbag up to her shoulder and quickly walked to the entrance. Before she could reach the front door she suddenly saw a form move from one of the pillar and Andy Flynn appeared in front of her.

"Lieutenant, what are you doing here?!" Sharon asked, her voice a little bit higher than usual as she stood surprised, a hand on her chest.

"Hey Cap', sorry I didn't mean to frighten you nor stalk you, but..." He took a few steps nearing her and he motioned for the clothing draped over his arm, "Here, I have something that belongs to you."

"Oh, my coat!" Sharon exclaimed, her face briefly lighting up as she took it from him. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I was starting to think I had lost it for good."

"Assholes from Robbery thought it was funny to take it and hide it in their division" Andy explained, shaking his head. "Too bad for them because I happen to be a good detective…" he paused as he felt her skeptical stare on him and conceded to her, "with a _huge _package, yes, but still a good detective… and I found out what they were up to."

Sharon smiled briefly before looking down at her light grey coat as she informed him, "Guess I know why they did it. I wrote some of them up last week for excessive use of force." She ran a hand through her hair and added, "Anyway, thank you, Lieutenant. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime, Captain." Andy nodded.

Sharon walked past him and was about to enter the building when Andy cleared his throat. She turned to face him with a questioning look. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck as he fumbled for words, "Uhm… about… about that rumor going around the department today…" He paused to make sure he had her full attention,"Are you really retiring?"

"I think it is none of your business, Lieutenant" Sharon stated calmly, crossing her arms over her chest. A clear sign that she wasn't willing to talk about this topic.

"I know. I know" Andy repeated as he raised his hands in defense. "But really, retirement?" He asked cautiously while looking into her eyes. He knew he may be going too far by insisting on the topic, but he hoped she would listen to him all the same. "I get it, that coat prank was a douche move, but isn't it a bit too overreacted to call it quits?"

"You obviously have no idea what it feels like to work in a place where you are not appreciated and where people hate you." She looked down, her voice dropping low as she hit the end of the sentence. She started to fidget with the collar of her coat to avoid his gaze as she tried to keep her emotions at bay. The last thing she needed to happen was for her to break down in front of Lieutenant Flynn. Sharon was stronger than that, she was better than that. _Get a grip, Raydor! _She ordered to herself.

"Oh come on, it's not like you're not appreciated." Andy answered back, but when he met her glaring stare, he rephrased, "Well, we all know deep down you are doing the right thing, that you are trying to help us… even Chief knows it."

"You all have a weird way of showing it" she coldly shot back. Sharon lifted her head to once again meet his gaze as she added, "You above all."

Andy sighed and pulled out his hands from his coat's pockets as he raised them in surrender, "Okay, I've been an ass in the past, I know. I've been responsible for that stupid nickname people keep calling you. I've been a jerk. I was wrong. You were just doing your job, you were just trying to help. You are still trying to help."

"Should I frame these words?" Sharon sarcastically answered back and shook her head at him. "I don't think I will hear them again any time soon."

"Here, frame the next ones too because I won't say them twice" Andy told her with a challenging look. "You are damn good at your job, you're a hell of a Captain and maybe that's what bugged us all. You being so good at your job, so righteous, such a Captain Rulebook." He paused as he noticed Sharon rolling her eyes at the new nickname he had come up with. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he added, "As much as we won't admit it, we need you. We need you because you're the only one who can keep us from blowing up the whole department… and who can prevent Chief from doing something wrong and stupid."

They exchanged glances for a couple of seconds, neither of them speaking. Sharon then let out a frustrated sigh as she asked him with an annoyed and short tone, "Why do you even care if I retire?!"

Andy simply replied with a shrug "It would be a damn waste, Captain." Sharon was surprised by his self-control. She would have expected him to snap at her or to tell her to get lost but his composed answer was quite astonishing. She was slowly starting to realize how far he had come.

"Allow me to point out that you'll be the only one thinking of it as a waste" she said softly in a defeated tone. Sharon was aware that if there was a list of the most hated LAPD officers she would without a doubt be on it. Lieutenant Provenza had even mentioned throwing a party if she ever retired. That was how happy the other officers were at the fact that she may be leaving.

"Who cares, Sharon?!" Andy shot back, raising his voice. Andy realized his loud volume, sighed and lowered his voice as he continued, "Has this ever stopped you before?" He paused to leave her the time to ponder his question."I never thought of you as a quitter. You are a pain in the ass-Captain, but you aren't a quitter." He told her looking straight in her eyes, "And you won't start today."

"Are you done lecturing me?" Sharon asked, annoyance in her tone as she crossed her arms over her chest, her coat secured against her. She was in a full defensive mode and he doubted any of his words would have made a difference if she had already made up her mind about retirement.

It was probably a lost cause but Andy needed to get his thoughts out and now that he had done it, he felt like he had no more reasons to stay. "Yes, I am. Now you're free to do whatever you want to do." He gestured between them before adding, "I'll get out of your hair now."

He left her no time to answer as he turned his heels and walked away. He didn't get far but was stopped in his tracks by her voice calling back to him, "Andy?"

He turned to face her, surprised by the fact that she used his first name and not his rank as she usually did. "Yes?"

"That retirement thing… it was a hoax. I needed to do this for my investigation." Sharon paused when she noticed he was about to ask more details. She raised her hand to stop him, "Please, don't ask, I can't tell you more. You'll know about it very soon" and reassured him with a nod. She was taken aback when he nodded back at her, accepting her explanation and not asking for more. He had definitely come a long way. "But anyway, it feels good to know that whether I retire or not matters at least to someone. Thank you" she added truthfully and offered him a faint smile.

Andy walked back to her as he nervously ran a hand through his hair, looking down as he fumbled, "I know you need nobody, but if you ever…" He stopped, realizing his words didn't quite make sense. He let the hand that was in his hair fall back to his side as he added awkwardly, "I'll be glad to be that nobody."

Andy cautiously met her gaze and he wasn't sure she understood his offer. He wasn't sure himself that his words made sense. He noticed her face soften and he couldn't quite remember having seen such a soft expression from her at work.

"I appreciate that" Sharon finally answered. She stared at him for a few seconds more before surprisingly reaching for his arm. Andy didn't expect the touch and he hid his own surprise the best that he could. She lightly squeezed his upper arm with a barely noticeable smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow at work?" Andy then asked with a faint smile as he covered her hand and gave it a brief squeeze.

"Sure, Lieutenant. See you tomorrow." Sharon replied as she let go of his arm. "Thanks again for the coat." She added, motioning for the piece of clothing over her arm.

"Anytime, Cap'."

Andy nodded politely at her and he was surprised when Sharon rewarded him with a smile that truly reached her eyes this time. He answered back with one of his renowned Flynn's grins before he shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat and walked away to his car. Andy was sure she wouldn't take his offer of a friendly shoulder in times of need, but he hoped that Sharon understood that the coat situation was a peace offering. He hoped she understood that they could leave the past behind and start anew.

When Andy reached his car, he turned around and noticed that Sharon was still standing outside her building as if she was checking that he made it safely to the car. Andy chuckled amused and then saw Sharon gracefully wave him goodbye before disappearing behind the doors. He got into his car and glanced one last time at the building before driving away. Maybe he was wrong, maybe she got the message after all, maybe it could all be the start of something new. Maybe.

_You've got a hold of me._

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**Thank you for reading this story! ****I hope you enjoyed it! **

**Feel free to tell me what you thought about it! :) **


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